Just Fly Away
by Jennifer Collins
Summary: Tension arises as the Avengers are starting to drift apart. Tony and Natasha have other problems to deal with. Sequel to "I'd Rather Fly" and "Flying High."
1. An Announcement

Chapter 1: An Announcement

Natasha rushed to the center of the quarter, where Rhodey and Sam were already leading search and rescue efforts.

Clint appeared a moment later, breathing heavy and pausing for a moment with his hands on his knees.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Iron Man's hand settled at the small of her back, his faceplate retracting.

She nodded, squinting through the settling dust. "Where's Steve?"

"He went to go get Banner," Clint said.

In front of the city hall building stood a gaggle of reporters, cameras already clicking away and microphones being shoved in the faces of the responding authorities.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Guess I should go take care of that."

Natasha shook her head. "You stay here in case Steve needs help with Bruce. I'll do it."

He shot her a grateful smile as she made her way up the steps, holding out his hand to pause the others as Rogers and Banner slowly made their way over to join them.

"Ms. Romanoff, that could've been much more of a disaster than it was. As usual, the whole city is indebted to the Avengers."

She shook her head. "As stated many times before, any time a little extra help is needed, the Avengers will be there."

"We've noticed that Thor has been M.I.A. the last two times the Avengers have assembled, not including the incident that has just taken place. Has there been a falling out? Is he no longer a member of the team?"

"Thor is currently off-world, handling his own matters. There has been, and won't be any hostility between us and I can assure you, should his services be required here on Earth he would be back in no time."

She looked out into the crowd, taking a breath as her eyes met with Steve's and Tony's and they both nodded encouragingly.

"Ms. Romanoff," another reporter started. "There doesn't seem to be any casualties of this incident so far, although preliminary reports are showing substantial damages. How do the Avengers plan on being held accountable to the destruction?"

"Unfortunately, a certain level of damage is to be expected when it comes to disabling a threat of this magnitude. All we can do is our best to ensure the safety of the citizens. However, I can assure you that Stark Industries is already working closely with the proper authorities to assess and a check will be written to cover any costs."

That earned a few smiles and light cheers from the crowd and she breathed an inward sigh of relief, her eyes still on her teammates as they watched her.

After that, most of the questions turned silly and she was gazing at Tony, mentally asking him to come help her out of it when a vaguely familiar voice to her left called for her attention amongst the flashing cameras.

"Ms. Romanoff, we can't help but notice that blinding rock on your finger. Would you care to comment?"

Her eyes widened and she was met face to face with the well-known journalist Christine Everheartt, who had a smug smile on her face as her photographer clicked away and her videographer pointed the camera directly at her.

"Ummm…"

"I mean it's not like you could keep that thing a secret forever," the reporter pressed, earning a few chuckles from her colleagues.

She held up her hand over her face to shield her eyes from the bright lights and she searched to regain her visual on the Avengers, finding Steve looking nervous, Clint looking mildly annoyed, Banner looking like he wanted to be literally anywhere else, and Tony looking steadily at her. He smiled softly at her, clearly communicating that he was fine with whatever she decided as he started to make his way up to the steps to help her if she needed an out.

"Um, yes, I can comment on that." She looked up at Tony, who had mostly reached the front and smiled when he winked at her.

"Mr. Stark has graciously asked me to marry him," she said calmly, her smile growing larger as he reached her. "And I've accepted."

The crowd exploded into claps and cheers as the cameras clicked twice as fast and Tony took the hand that she'd been reaching out to him. He placed an arm around her waist and she leaned into him, posing briefly for a couple of pictures.

She scanned the quarter, once again searching for her teammates and she caught a glimpse of them in the middle of the excitement just in time to see Clint cover his face with both hands.

XXXXX

"You handled that brilliantly," Tony commented, flashing her a billion dollar smile as the town hall guards ducked them into the building to wait until the crowd dispersed. "I have yet to regret my decision to appoint you to the P.R. team."

"Actually…. about that," she started.

"Hmmmm?"

She shook her head. "It's just… with the new compound almost finished…. I thought maybe Steve and Sam could use my help. Like on a more full-time basis…" she said slowly, bracing herself for the argument that was undoubtedly about to happen.

"I see," he said, pausing for a moment to consider her words.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she said, biting her lip as she reached for his arm. "I just-"

"No, no. It makes sense," he said after awhile.

"It does?"

"Yeah." He took her arm in his, patting her gently as he managed a small smile. "After all, you've always been the heart and soul of this team. And we need you. You'll be great."

She smiled a relieved smile. "Thanks, Tony."

"I just wish that Stark Industries wasn't losing both you and Barton in the same week."

She frowned. "What?"

"You know, with Clint retiring and everything," Tony said, regarding her carefully. "Didn't… he tell you?"

"Uh, no," she said, lowering her eyes. "No, he didn't."

"Hmmmm. I'm sorry, I thought he would have. He said something about taking time for his family, what with two young kids now and everything. I guess I can't fault him for that."

She nodded. "Yeah, that's a perfectly good reason," she said, gazing out the window where their teammates were now approaching.

Tony's phone beeped and he took it out of his pocket, clearly dismissing the message.

She raised an eyebrow at him, grateful to have the distraction.

He shook his head. "It's nothing. Just a message from Pepper. Vanity Fair wants to do an exclusive engagement photo shoot, or something. It's dumb. We don't have to actually do it."

"Vanity Fair?" She turned her head back to face him. "I don't know. That actually sounds like it could be kind of fun."

"Really?" His voice raised in pitch, clearly surprised.

"Yeah," she said with a grin.

"Okay," he said, watching her with an amused expression. "I'll tell Pepper we'll do it."


	2. Almost Famous

Chapter 2: Almost Famous

The room was blindingly bright and busy when they arrived on the set of their photoshoot and Natasha started to wonder if maybe she'd made a mistake as an obscenely large crew bustled around them.

Her eyes darted to Tony, but he seemed strangely relaxed, chatting good naturedly with the wardrobe assistant and occasionally flashing a charming smile.

Pepper shot her a grin that was half amused, half sympathetic as she took her coffee and sat in a chair that an assistant had designated for her.

Natasha turned her attention to the wardrobe lady, who held up a black garment bag and a quick glance over her shoulder told her that Tony had already been whisked away to get dressed.

She frowned slightly at the mirror in her dressing room. They'd curated a sleek, black and red number for her; a thin, soft cotton that hugged her curves and cut off above her knees, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, although she did have to admire how the deep red in the center of the dress accentuated her hair.

She put on a gracious smile as she re-entered the room, her eyes locking with Tony's as he emerged from his dressing room and he winked playfully.

Her breath almost caught in her throat when she took in the sight of him; a freshly pressed black suit with a deep red dress shirt that matched the red stripe in her dress, gold vest and tie that brought out the soft brown of his eyes and… was he actually glittering?

Pepper whistled from her perch. "Niiiiiice," she commented. She held up the press sheet. "They're calling it the 'Iron Wedding,'" she said.

"Cute," Tony said, rolling his eyes a little as the assistants moved to escort them to the makeup chairs.

"I'm Ashley," the artist introduced herself briefly with a friendly smile. "It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Romanoff. Or should I say, the future Mrs. Stark?"

Natasha returned the smile as she got to work. "You can call me Natasha," she said, closing her eyes as the girl held up a thick black eyeliner pencil. "You know, I've never actually had anyone put makeup on my face before."

"Ugh, wish I could say the same," Tony commented, wrinkling his nose as another makeup artist dabbed powder all over his face.

Another pair of hands had their fingers running through his hair, using more hairspray and gel than Natasha would've thought was necessary and she sneezed as the same was done to her hair before the makeup artist had even finished with her face.

"People, people! Can we get this started, please?" The photographer, whose name was Jeff, insisted.

A short, black haired woman in a pencil skirt introduced herself as the director of the shoot and she guided them over to the set, a clean backdrop with a table base in the center, all dressed with romantic flowers, grass, and fake trees to look like a meadow.

"Over here, Mr. Stark," the director said, showing him his mark.

He stood obediently, holding out his hands to Natasha, who grasped him eagerly. "Have I told you yet that you look absolutely stunning?" He whispered into her ear. "Don't be nervous. You're doing fine."

She smiled gratefully.

"Beautiful smile, Ms. Romanoff. Can we get that again, facing me this time?" The photographer asked as he finished adjusting his camera.

She blinked in the spotlight a few times until her eyes adjusted.

"Wonderful. Mr. Stark, why don't you put your arms around your lovely lady?"

Tony wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand pressed firmly to her stomach and she could feel the heat from his skin through the thin fabric of her dress.

"That's great… now face each other, Mr. Stark, hands on her waist, nice and loose and sexy. Ms. Romanoff, maybe hold onto his face, very soft and delicate, that's nice."

Natasha took a deep breath as she raised her hands to his face while the camera clicked away.

"Don't look at the camera, Ms. Romanoff. Look at him, head tilted to your right at a forty-five degree angle."

She gazed up at him and he crossed his eyes, sticking his tongue out at her and she burst out laughing, nearly doubling over and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her close against his chest.

"Okay, we actually got a pretty good candid there," the director said, studying the camera. "But Mr. Stark, can you please refrain from any further distractions?"

"Don't make her laugh, Tony," Pepper bluntly clarified with a roll of her eyes.

He grinned. "Alright, alright. I just wanted to loosen her up a bit," he apologized.

"That's a good position there behind her," the photographer commented, giving them a thumbs up from behind the camera. "Maybe place your chin lightly on her shoulder?"

He took the suggestion, his facial hair causing her to shiver slightly as he pressed a soft kiss to the base of her neck before doing so.

"That's beautiful. Can we get a little kiss on the cheek?"

He raised his eyebrow and she nodded, a low giggle escaping her as he loudly smooched her face.

"Great, now can we please get that shot from before?" The photographer pleaded.

The director moved into the scene, quietly mumbling commands to face each other and set up the shot they'd originally asked for, his hands lightly grasping her waist and her hands cupping his face as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I can't see enough of his face," the photographer grumbled in frustration as he zoomed in.

"May I?" The director asked, holding out her hand.

"Uh, sure," Natasha said, trying to keep her eyes on Tony as the woman touched her arm, gently lowering her elbow.

"How's that look?" she asked.

"Perfect!" Jeff shouted and she quickly moved out of the shot as he snapped away.

"Having fun?" Tony murmured.

"It's…. different than what I was expecting," she admitted.

He smiled. "Come here," he said, tightening his hold on her waist and lifting her up into the air.

She laughed as he twirled her around, her hands tightening their grip on his forearms even though she knew there was no way he was going to drop her.

The camera clicked enthusiastically to the squeals of approval from both the director and the photographer, but Pepper shushed them as she leaned over in her seat.

"Just let them do their thing," she hissed. "Trust me, it will be a lot easier for you."

He gently set her back down on the ground, pulling her close into his body and she rested her head against his shoulder as they embraced.

She closed her eyes as they held the pose for a moment, then he placed a hand under her chin and tilted her face back to look up at him as he held her, leaning his head down close as if he was about to kiss her and she automatically parted her lips, almost forgetting that there was a room full of people surrounding them.

Once the director called for a timeout so Jeff could reset the camera, he did kiss her and she eagerly returned the kiss.

"I love you," he whispered, never taking his eyes off of her. "And I don't care how many people are in this room right now, the only one that matters is you."

"Tony," she breathed, leaning into him.

"All set," the photographer said. "Can we start rolling again?"

Tony gave him a thumbs up and the camera started flashing again. He tickled her waist playfully before he remembered that he'd promised to be on his best behavior and they took a minute to regroup, dutifully posing for the signature close ups of the ring and the cheesy pretend you're dancing poses before the director called for one last set.

"Would you mind hopping up here for a minute, Mr. Stark?" the director asked, tapping on the base.

He used his hands to push himself up.

"This is going to be an overhead shot, so you can lean all the way back, if you don't mind," she said, nodding to the photographer, who moved swiftly to another camera.

A makeup artist dabbed at his face as he lay back, and a hair person came up behind her to pat her loose curls back into place before they guided her over to him.

"U, can we get her a stepstool, or something?" Tony asked, and it appeared in no time.

"Nice and easy, take your time," Jeff assured her while he adjusted the lens from his perch on the lift above them.

Two assistants came over to hold both her hands as she took the two steps up to the platform.

The director patted the place where she was going to sit and she tugged her dress down as she obeyed.

"Now, just lean back against him, you're still facing the camera," she urged as Natasha slowly reclined.

She leaned until her back was pressed against his front as she adjusted herself between his legs and he moved to wrap his arm around her waist, placing a comforting hand on her hip and a soft kiss to her temple.

"Ms. Romanoff, can we get your right hand up to his chin? That's lovely, now turn your eyes to look at each other without moving your head too much, " Jeff called from above.

"May I?" the director asked Tony, and he nodded his consent as she tilted his chin with her hand, placing Natasha's hand where they wanted it.

"You can hold the hand that's on your face, nice and light, keep your elbow down low so we can still see her face, there you go." The director moved his other hand lower on Natasha's hip.

"Now, just look at each other. Pretend we're not here," Jeff instructed as the camera zoomed in on them.

She turned her eyes to look up at him, her body relaxing into him as he locked his gaze on hers, despite the uncomfortable choreographed position.

"Hi," he whispered softly, his dimples appearing on his cheeks as he smiled an adoring smile.

"Hi," she whispered back, unable to contain her own soft smile.

"Aaaaaaand that's perfect!" Jeff shouted.

"That's a wrap!" the director said, nodding approvingly when he showed her the camera. "Looks like we got our cover shot."

"Let me see," Natasha said, slowly sitting up.

Tony hopped down from the base and placed his hands on either side of her waist, gently pulling her back down to the floor.

"Oh, it's gorgeous," Pepper said, motioning for them to come over and check.

Natasha gasped when she saw it, her hand going to her chest and Tony's eyes sparkled.

"And that's even before editing," the director said, grinning proudly at their approval.

"Come on," Tony said, nudging her lightly. "I gotta get out of this thing. Where do you girls want to go for lunch?"

Pepper bent down to gather up their belongings while the assistants followed them to their dressing rooms.

"Thanks for everything, Jeff," she said, shaking his hand. "And you know Mr. Stark has agreed to pay for all of the unedited shots from the shoot?"

Jeff nodded. "I'll send the whole package to your assistant in less than a week," he promised.

Pepper smiled gratefully.

"You sure weren't kidding, Ms. Potts," he told her. "He really is protective of her. It's kind of sweet."


	3. Trouble

Chapter 3: Trouble

Natasha was lounging in her quarters on the fourth floor of the manor, texting a weekly Avengers training schedule to Steve, when a voice called her name.

"Ms. Romanoff! Ms. Romanoff! The boss needs you, right away!"

She looked up from her phone. "Where is he, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" She asked, still trying to get used to the voice of the fairly new A.I. in the house.

"In his lab in the basement. He's in trouble! Ms. Potts is already on her way."

She jumped up in alarm, tossing her phone aside and running for the stairs, thinking she could sprint the five stories faster than it would take her to wait for the elevator. "Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y.," she huffed.

"Anytime, Lady Boss," the A.I. replied.

She tapped her key card anxiously on the security pad, moving out of the way as Pepper nearly ran into her.

"Oh, my God, Tony!" Pepper shouted.

She scanned the room, her heart leaping in her throat and her blood pounding cold in her veins when she saw him lying on the floor.

"Tony!" She crouched down low, to his side, feeling for a pulse.

"Is he breathing?" Pepper asked tearfully, wringing her hands.

She nodded, cradling his head with her hand. "Tony, baby, can you hear me?" she murmured softly.

He groaned, mumbling something incoherent before opening his eyes. "Oh, hey. I must've died and gone to heaven."

She sighed in relief, hugging him tightly to her chest. "What the hell happened? We should probably call a doctor to make sure you're okay," she said, locking eyes with Pepper, who was already on the phone.

He shook his head. "No… no doctors. I was just making some adjustments to the armor." He coughed loudly as he stood.

"See?" He said, gaining a steady balance. "I'm fine."

"What kind of adjustments?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Um… " he ran a hand through his hair. "You know, the enhancements I've been mentioning."

She looked up at Pepper. "Can you give us a moment, please?" She asked quietly.

Pepper nodded, squeezing her arm on the way out. "I'll be close by if you need me. Don't go easy on him, Natasha," she said.

He waited for the door to close and until he saw Pepper disappear up the stairs through the glass door before turning back to her. "Okay, don't get mad," he said, gesturing to his work on the counter.

She grabbed some cotton and alcohol out of the first aid kit that he kept under the table, lightly dabbing at the blood spots near his temple and he hissed.

"Ouch," he mumbled.

"Ouch?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. "Ouch! I come down here to find you passed out on the ground and all you can say is ouch?"

"Man, Pepper really trained you good on this, didn't she?" He tried to joke, but she clearly wasn't having it. "Okay, okay."

He walked over to the counter, showing Natasha what he was working on. "I've been using nanite technology to help design a serum that would bond with my blood to create a…. uh, hands-free Iron Man."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Hands-free meaning…..?" She took in the dark gray liquid-solid in the beaker and the opened needle on the counter.

"Meaning, I only have to think about it, and poof- Iron Man."

She sucked in a breath, her eyes tearing. "You injected this stuff into your body?"

"No." He shook his head. "Not yet, anyway. The solution produced an unexpected reaction and I accidentally inhaled some of the fumes."

"Are you insane?" She whispered, hands shaking as she raised them to her mouth to cover her horrified expression.

"Nat-"

She couldn't stop the angry tears from falling. "After everything I've told you about my time in the Red Room, everything we just went through with Ultron? You saw what Loki did to Clint, right?"

He reached for her hands, but she jerked them away.

"Do you not understand everything that Steve is going through with Bucky right now?!" She shouted. "You're going to let that thing into your mind?"

"It doesn't control me, I control it," he said defensively.

"Oh, bullshit, Tony!" She screamed.

"It's not what you think," he insisted. "And you're right… I- I'm sorry…"

She shook her head. "You know that I have always supported you through everything. Every crazy scheme, every impossible idea." She paused to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her hand. "But I can't support this," she whispered.

"Then help me," he pleaded.

She looked up at him, sniffling slightly, and she didn't move away when he gripped her arms with both hands.

"Okay, I admit it. I was stupid and I got carried away and I went about all of this the wrong way. But you know how important Iron Man is to me, and I need an upgrade."

She swallowed thickly, finally reaching out and squeezing his arm.

"These threats that we're facing? They're getting stronger and different, and scarier every day and I don't know what I'm doing anymore. So help me."

"What do you need me to do?" She asked once she knew her voice wouldn't crack.

"Look at my research. See what I'm seeing, and give me your suggestions. I'm serious. I really want to know what you think about how I can improve."

"I don't know, Tony," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not a scientist, or a genius, or anything close."

He shrugged. "You don't have to be."

"I-I'm not Bruce," she said quietly. "Wouldn't you be better off with Bruce?"

He lowered his eyes. "He hasn't been returning my calls since Sokovia."

She nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah, he hasn't responded to my calls or texts either."

"So, what do you say?" He asked, pressing his hand firmly into her chest. "Will you do this with me?"

She sighed. "I'll do my best," she said finally.

He breathed a sigh of relief, letting his head fall against her shoulder.

She gripped his shoulders tightly with both hands, pushing him to arms length so he would look at her. "But hear me very clearly on this," she said through gritted teeth. "If I ever, ever come down here and find you unconscious on the floor, ever again….all this?"

She swept her hand around the air for effect. "I swear to you, I will burn it all down. Are we clear?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. "Very."


	4. Lunch Between Friends

Chapter 4: Lunch Between Friends

Tony slung an arm around her shoulders, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. "I'm going to go to Pepper's today. Do you want to come?"

She popped a strawberry into his mouth. "I told Clint I would meet him for lunch. There's some things I wanted to talk to him about. And shouldn't Pepper be in her office today?"

He shook his head. "Nah, she called in sick."

She studied him carefully. "And you're going over there? Isn't that a little obsessive?"

"Pepper hasn't called in sick in twelve years. I'm going over there to make sure she's okay." He nodded his head. "What, are you still mad at Barton because he didn't tell you he was resigning?"

She shrugged.

"Alright," he said. "Can I at least take you to dinner tonight? Maybe some place where I can actually have you all to myself for once?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling as she wiped her fingers off on a napkin. "That actually sounds good."

"Great," he said, kissing her cheek. "Although I can't promise that I won't try to seduce you into coming home with me after. It has been far too long since I got you alone, and I'm starving."

She pulled him in for a kiss on the lips. "Believe me, you'll know if I'm seduceable," she teased.

"Later," he said with a grin.

"Hey, keep me posted on how Pepper's feeling," she called.

"Will do," he promised, turning back to steal one more kiss before he turned to go.

XXXXX

"Hey there, stranger," she said once she arrived to the outdoor café. She nodded towards the table. "Whatcha reading?"

"Vanity Fair," he said, holding up the magazine as he stood up to give her a hug.

She smiled, leaning into his embrace. "It's good to see you, Clint."

"You too," he said, gesturing for her to take the seat across from him under the umbrella. "Although I wasn't exactly expecting to see so much of you."

She groaned, taking the magazine from him. "The dress was a bit much, right? Are they horrible?"

He watched as she turned the pages. "Actually, they turned out pretty good," he admitted. "Too bad your only engagement photos are plastered all over the place for everyone in the world to see."

She looked up at him, unable to hide her satisfaction with the photos. "Actually, Tony bought the whole set from the magazine. I've got plenty of photos that weren't published."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course he did."

"The dress is actually kind of flattering," she said, still studying the cover.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, it's a good thing I'm a happily married man and you're engaged to Stark," he joked.

She shook her head. "Uhm, I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."

"What? We've been on plenty of missions where I've had to see you naked and that dress is still more revealing. And they matched it to Black Widow colors? Look what Stark's wearing. Iron Wedding. That's cute."

"Can you stop?" she asked. "You know, I actually asked you here for a reason."

"Yeah," he said, closing the magazine and tossing it aside. "I figured you'd be mad. You gonna give me a chance to apologize?"

She shook her head. "Actually, that wasn't the reason, but speaking of that. You didn't tell me you were leaving Stark Industries, Clint?"

"I was going to tell you. I just had to think about how. Besides, we kinda got caught up in saving the city and all."

"Still," she said softly. "That's usually the kind of thing we discuss beforehand?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Nat. I should've told you first. It's nothing against you, or him, or even you and him. I just need to spend some time with my family. I don't want to miss out on the kids being young and everything."

She nodded. "I understand that. I really do. And I'm not mad anymore." She reached for his hand across the table.

"Good," he said, his expression relieved. "So what is it you needed to talk about?"

She paused for a moment. "You know I'm getting married soon and…."

He snorted. "Gee, I didn't realize."

"Clint…"

"I'm sorry." He patted her hand. "That was the last one, I promise. Go ahead."

She looked into his eyes. "I just." She took a deep breath to clear her head. "I was just wondering…. If you could walk me down the aisle, at my wedding…. and give me away?"

He stiffened, his smile frozen on his face and his gaze locked on hers. "Let me make sure I understand this. You want me, of all people, to physically and symbolically hand you over to Stark? Are you sure that's not a job that's better suited for Steve?"

"You're the closest family I have, Clint," she whispered. "And I honestly can't picture doing this without you. Will you at least think about it?"

He nodded, lowering his gaze and rubbing his thumb across her hand. "You know, you're one of the most important people in this world to me." He turned his eyes back up to look at her seriously. "And there's just two things that I want for you. I want you to be happy, and I want you to be well."

She swallowed hard, her eyes tearing as she waited for him to continue.

"And regardless of how I feel about that man… I really think he does both of those things for you, Nat."

She smiled a watery smile, inching her chair closer to his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her tightly. "Tasha, I'd be honored to give you away at your wedding."

She turned around to hug him, closing her eyes as she embraced him fiercely. "Thanks, Clint," she whispered.

"You know, he came to me awhile back. Asked me for your hand. I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you that."

"And what did you say?"

"I said it was your decision. And I mean it. I trust you to make that decision."

She smiled. "He was just being traditional."

"Yeah, I got that." He tugged lightly on her ponytail. "Come on. Let's see the ring."

She grinned, holding out her hand to him, the hourglass diamond shining in the sunlight despite the umbrella over the table. "Something simple," she said.

He snorted, taking her hand. "Simple my ass. You know he definitely spent more than a couple hundred thousand dollars to have this thing made for you, right?"

She was silent, fingering the ring on her hand.

"But I guess he's Tony Stark, and he can do whatever he wants for his girl, right? It's actually a surprisingly thoughtful design. And it suits you."

She patted his arm gently. "That's the nicest thing I've heard you say about him. Keep practicing."


	5. Tony's Lab

Chapter 5: Tony's Lab

"I can't wait to see what you've been working on," Tony said enthusiastically as he led Natasha down to the basement lab.

She handed him a file as she followed him, stopping in her tracks when she got to the bottom of the stairs.

He turned around once he realized she was no longer behind him, then set the file on a desk, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched her with a bemused expression on his face.

"It's unbelievable," she said, her eyes slowly moving over the digital displays and half started projects. "So this is what the mind of a genius looks like. It's kind of impressive."

"You mean to tell me that you've been practically living her for almost a month and this is the first time you're seeing all this?"

She nodded. "The only time I've ever been down here is when I was with Pepper."

"Well, you know this is going to be your house too. You can go anywhere you want, whenever you want. You don't need my permission."

She turned her eyes to him. "I thought you don't like anyone disturbing you while you're working."

He walked over to her, taking her hands in his. "I've told you many times, my darling. You're not just anyone." He kissed her hand before giving it a tug. "Now, come on. You'll want to see this before we get to work."

She followed him behind the staircase, her mouth gaping in awe when she saw all the Iron Man suits.

He grinned. "You like it, huh? I call it the hall of armor."

"Have you really worn all of these? How many are there? How did you- what…."

He laughed. "There's currently sixty-nine. The one we're working on will be number seventy. And I have to say, you staring at all the suits like that? Kinda hot."

She turned her gaze back to look at him in time for him to close the distance between them in a few long steps. "Tony, what are you doing?" She asked as he lifted her into the air.

He set her down on the counter, moving in between her legs and leaning in to kiss her. "Kinda really hot," he murmured against her lips.

She giggled when he lowered his mouth to kiss her neck, wrapping her arms around him and closing her thighs around his waist as he stood in front of her. "What about all this?" she asked, gesturing to the stacks of books and files. "You'll make a mess."

He shrugged, pushing the stuff back with one arm while he continued to kiss her. "I don't care about all that. I care about this," he said huskily, nibbling on her jaw as he slid his hands up her bare legs to the edges of her shorts.

"Tony," she breathed as he started to unbutton them.

"I love the little Iron Man kink you have," he murmured against her lips as he slipped his hand into her panties, finding them damp.

"I do not have an Iron Man kink," she squealed as he advanced on her, sliding her shorts down her hips as he lay her down on the desk and hopped up to join her.

"Yeah, you do," he said in between kisses as he crawled on top of her. "Remember that one night at your apartment? We could do that again."

"Tony," she murmured, placing her hands against his chest. "I can't."

"Sure you can," he said, sucking softly on her neck.

"No, I mean I can't do this down here."

"Hmmmm?" He asked, backing off slightly as he gazed at her questioningly, unable to hide his disappointment. "It's fine. No one's coming down here. The door's locked. No one has access."

"No, it's just….." She gestured behind them. "All those suits. I feel like they're all looking at us."

He shook his head, moving to kiss her again. "No, they're not. It's impossible. They are stationary, un-sentient hunks of junk and they're not looking at us."

"But there's cameras inside….?"

"Only when they're powered up. As in me. Inside them. Controlling them. Which I'm not right now. Because I'd rather be inside you."

She gave in, letting him continue to trail hungry kisses down her neck as his hands continued to wander. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer until she couldn't see them anymore, running her hands through his hair and letting him fill her senses as she kissed him back.

"Tony, wait…" she said just as he was starting to move his hand into her underwear again. "I can't shake the feeling that all the Iron man suits are watching me. It's creepy."

"They can't see you," he insisted. "Trust me, I'm the only Iron Man that's watching you."

She nodded, laying back down on the counter and trying to concentrate on how hot it was to be in his workshop, under him on his desk with his hand shoved down her pants and his full attention on her instead of anything else in the lab.

"I guess we can take this upstairs if you're really that uncomfortable," he said, pulling his hand away.

She opened her eyes, shaking her head in protest. He had just been moving her underwear to the side, his mouth close to her ear and she had just started to forget about everything else. "Or… we could just stay here and you could put your hand back," she whispered.

He grinned, slipping his fingers back into her panties and pressing against her wet heat as he lowered his head to mouth at her breasts through her t-shirt.

"Better?" He asked, sliding his fingers in and out of her.

She nodded, her muscles already responding to him.

"Hold on," he said, rolling half onto his side and tapping his wrist.

She opened her eyes in time to see an armored glove encase his hand and he moved it between her legs, pressing and holding his thumb to the palm of his hand, creating a small spark of energy that caused his other fingers to vibrate.

"Oh, God," she moaned as she felt the sensation against her sex. "Now I have an Iron Man kink."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, kissing down her neck. "Only drawback is I can't feel you. Is it okay?"

She nearly whimpered as he started to hit her spot. "I promise you, it feels good," she moaned.

"How good?" he asked. "Can I make you come like this?"

She nodded, eyes closed as she writhed beneath him, trying to show him that she was already almost there and then she came, her nails digging into his shoulders.

"Screw this. I gotta feel you," he said, tossing the glove away and shoving his hand between her legs.

She clamped her thighs around him as he pushed his fingers in.

"Still feel good?" He murmured against her ear.

"Oh, yes," she moaned. "Shit that was hot."

"What turns you on more, Iron Man or me?" He asked as he continued to finger her with a steady rhythm.

"You," she whispered, sliding her hands over his chest. "Always you."

He leaned down to kiss her and she moaned against his mouth as she came again.

"Fuck," he breathed.

"Come here," she said, jumping down from the table and pulling him with her.

"What?"

She pushed him against the edge, undoing his belt buckle and unzipping his pants as she reached for him, pressing her mouth against his and swallowing his moans as she stroked him.

She kissed down his neck, pulling his shirt up to kiss his chest as she lowered herself down his body, skimming her teeth over his abs and running her hands across his hips before yanking his pants down as she dropped to her knees.

"Hey, hey. You don't have to do that," he said, tapping her chin up. "I know you don't kneel down to anyone."

"You're not anyone." She pushed his hand away, tightening her hold around him and moving her fist back and forth until he groaned. "And I want to go down on you and cause a different kind of explosion in your lab," she said, locking her eyes on his as she kissed his tip.

"Well, who am I to argue with that?" He said, bracing his hands on the edge of the table as she took him into her mouth.

He closed his eyes, leaning his head back as she started to lick up and down his length and opening them again when she swallowed him down. "What do you know? They are watching us," He said.

She ignored him, reaching one hand up to tease his balls, the other wrapping around the base of his cock as she went down on him.

He was practically panting as she moved him through her lips and it only took a couple more times before he was coming.

She licked her lips, moving back up and leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around her. "We did come down here to work, right?" she asked.

"In a minute," he replied. "Let me just catch my breath. Holy shit. I hope those guys really were watching that."

She swatted him playfully before reaching for her file folder as he zipped his pants.

"Okay," he said. "What do you have for me?"

"I read through your research and I think I thought of a way for you to call your armor more efficiently, like you wanted. Only without the possibility of compromising your mind."

He thumbed through her packet, waiting for her to continue.

"You could have it respond to your arc reactor. The adrenaline starts pumping, your heart starts beating fast and Iron Man to the rescue," she said.

"Hmmmm," he said thoughtfully. "I like it. But you just proved that fighting crime isn't exactly the only thing that gets my heart racing. How do I keep it from reacting to every little thing?"

"You simply tap your reactor. Not exactly hands-free, but it is one-touch. And since history has shown that those with less than noble intentions are capable of getting their hands on your arc reactor technology, we could link it to your heat signature, this way it only responds to you."

He was silent for a moment as he considered her proposal.

"Tony? What do you think? Can you do it?"

He nodded. "I can do it. And you're brilliant," he said, kissing her enthusiastically.

She smiled into his kiss, her hands on either side of his face.

"I want to work on everything with you, from now on, forever," he said, reaching to lift her back onto the counter.


	6. Everything Falls Apart

Chapter 6: Everything Falls Apart

Tony knocked on the door to Natasha's suite, his hands shaking so hard he could barely connect his knuckles to the wood.

She had a bright smile on her face when she came to answer, but it quickly faded when she saw him. "Tony, what's wrong?"

"Can I come in for a minute?"

"Of course," she said, stepping aside and gesturing for him to sit. She paused a moment, taking him in. His face was a pale, sickly color and his eyes were bloodshot. He stood fidgeting with his hands in the middle of the room.

"Are you okay?" She asked, rushing to his side. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I have to tell you something," he said, almost choking on the words.

"Okay," she said. "Is this like I was sent to kill you something, or some psycho ex-employee got a hold of a video of us having sex something?"

He didn't answer, his mouth pressed firm together as he considered.

"Baby, you know you can tell me anything," she said gently. "Whatever it is, I'll help you."

"Pepper's pregnant," He said, almost in a whisper. "With my baby."

Her eyes widened as her stomach dropped to the floor. "What?" She asked. "You can't be serious. How is that even possible?"

He began shaking his head. "Nat, I didn't- I never cheated on you. Never, no I didn't even think about, I-I swear…I-"

"Okay," she said softly.

He took a shaky breath, gazing at her with a heavy look. "She's four and a half months."

Natasha put a hand over her mouth, as if that would stop the tears from falling down her face.

"She hadn't been feeling well for awhile," he continued. " But she thought it was just stress from running the company. And everything else I put her through, I guess."

"Oh my God," Natasha said.

"It's a girl," he added.

"No." She shook her head. "No, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Tasha…." He reached for her, but she slowly pulled away, her eyes wide and teary. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I-I-don't know what to say. I don't know what to do."

"I have to go," she whispered.

"What?" He took a step towards her. "No."

"I can't…. I can't do this right now. I really think I have to go."

"No!" He cried, reaching out and taking her arms in his hands. "No, just stay here. Stay here, we'll figure this out, I promise."

She looked up at him, her vision blurred. "It's always something, isn't it?" She said, her voice breaking on the last word.

He sniffled. "I guess so."

She nodded, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "I think….. I think you need time to process things and talk it over with Pepper and Happy. And I think… I think I need some space."

He lowered his gaze, large tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared at a random spot on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she whispered. She sobbed as she shakily pulled off her engagement ring. She started to hand it back to him, then thought better of it and placed it on the coffee table.

"Me too," he said, his voice pained.

She brushed past him, pausing to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before running out the door and to the elevator before she lost her resolve.

XXXXX

Her vision was almost totally blurry by the time she pulled up to her apartment and she parked hastily at the curb before running out and slamming the door. Her cell phone had been going off incessantly in her pocket but she ignored it.

She sighed a deep sigh, pulling the front door open in a haze. As soon as she got past the hall, her instincts kicked in and she froze when she detected that someone was in her apartment.

"Nat," a familiar voice called from the couch.

Her shoulders relaxed when she saw Clint, although her stomach still felt heavy and tense. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "It's kind of a bad time."

He stood up. "I'm playing the part of the best friend," he said softly. "There's even ice cream in the freezer."

She stared at him disbelievingly for a moment, and then the weight of the day crashed down over her and she threw herself into him, her shoulders shaking.

He caught her, wrapping his strong arms around her tightly as she collapsed against him and began to sob. "I'm so sorry, Tasha," he murmured.

She sobbed loudly, her body heaving and her tears soaking the front of his shirt.

"I know, I know, sweetheart," he said gently, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "Just let it all out."

He let her cry for awhile before he slowly moved her to the couch. "Do you want me to stay over tonight so you don't have to be alone?"

She nodded wordlessly.

"Okay. I can do that. But, Nat… maybe you'd want to come stay at the farm for a few days? "

"I don't know," she sniffed. "I can't really think straight."

"Okay. That's okay. Just know that Laura misses you, and the kids would love to see you. We can do whatever you want."

She wiped her face on her sleeve. "I'll think about it."

"And Laura and I were talking….. her sister's going to come watch the kids next week so she and I can go get your things. If that's what you want."

She shook her head. "I don't know what I want," she cried.

"Okay. We can talk about it some more another time," he said gently.

Suddenly, she doubled over, vomiting violently on the floor. He rushed to her, brushing her hair with his fingers and holding it back while she threw up.

"I don't know what I want," she said again when she finished. "But it's not this." She broke down again, covering her face with her hands as she sat cross-legged on the couch.

"Come here," Clint whispered, reaching for her.

She sobbed as she crawled into his lap and he embraced her fiercely.

"I didn't want this for you either," he told her as he held her tightly.


	7. A Mess

She was curled up on the deck with a book when the black minivan pulled into her driveway.

Clint got out first, opening the back and Laura appeared, holding up her favorite lamp and a white trash bag over what she assumed was all her clothes that she'd left behind at the mansion.

He embraced her briefly before she unlocked the door for them and Laura kissed her cheek. "I'll just take these things to your room?" Her friend asked, gazing at her cautiously, as if she might break. Which she actually thought she might.

Natasha nodded wordlessly, grabbing for the mail before trailing in behind them.

"Laura took a picture so she could set it up exactly like you want it," Clint said as he placed a box on the floor next to her couch.

"Wow, you guys really thought of everything," She commented, swallowing hard against the bile that stung her throat.

He placed his hands on his hips as he regarded her.

"Did you see him?" She asked without looking at him.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"How is he?"

Clint sighed. "What do you mean, 'how is he?'" He said. "It's Stark. He's a mess."

She nodded as if that made her feel better, even though it didn't, as she unwrapped a fancy looking envelope.

Clint nodded. "That Pepper and Happy's wedding invitation?" He asked.

"Yup," she replied tonelessly. "But I don't see how I can go."

"Yeah, I don't think we're going either," he said, relief clear in his expression. "It'll be better that way."

Laura watched them silently from the hall next to the kitchen after she was finished unpacking Natasha's room.

"Look," Clint said, reaching out to lightly grip her shoulder. "I know it hurts. But Tasha…. maybe it's all for the best…."

Her eyes narrowed and she set an icy glare on him. "Get out," she said, her voice shaking with her sudden feeling of betrayal.

Laura rushed forward. "Nat, wait…"

"I said get out!" She shouted.

The Bartons exchanged a glance before wordlessly heading down the hall to the front door.

"Nat…" Clint turned back once he'd stepped through, but she slammed the door in his face.

She pressed her back into the door until she heard the van pull away, then she slowly sank down to the floor, burying her face in her knees.

XXXXX

The warm brown liquid burned his throat, but he gulped it down quickly before pouring another glass. He polished off that one just as quickly and reached for the bottle, but a strong metallic hand closed over his wrist.

He started to laugh, but that burned his throat too, and he looked over his shoulder, peering through blurred eyes. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" He asked.

Rhodey shrugged in the War Machine suit. "You're so drunk you didn't even hear me come in, did you?"

He wrenching his hand away, wobbling a little at the sudden change in momentum. "I'm…. a little tipsy," he slurred.

Rhodey's faceplate retracted and he was frowning. "Think I'm gonna let you go down this road again?"

"Issss not up to youu," Tony said, jabbing a finger in his metal chest.

"Man, what the hell are you doing?" Rhodey said, flicking his hand away. "You got a little baby girl on the way in just a couple of weeks. You want your daughter to see her daddy looking and acting like this?"

Tony shrugged.

"I just got back from the compound," Rhodey told him.

"Yeah? You see her?" He asked, trying to keep his tone casual as he turned back to the bar, gripping his glass without raising it.

"Yeah, man."

He kept his eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on Rhodey's face. "How'd she look?"

Rhodey debated for a minute before answering. "She's sad. Of course she is. But she looks good, Tony. She looks real good," he said, reaching out to pat him on the back. "Doing her thing."

Tony gazed down at the dark liquid.

"She asked about you," Rhodey said softly.

His head snapped up. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her you're a mess. She's on her way over here right now. That's why I figured I better clean your sorry ass up."

"What?" Tony said, shaking his head even though it made him dizzy. "No, she can't…"

"Ms. Romanoff is approaching the elevator, Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. told them.

His eyes widened in panic and he wiped a napkin over his mouth.

Rhodey turned to meet her at the elevator when they heard the ding.

Tony stumbled out of his chair, leaning casually against the bar as he reappeared, shoulder to shoulder with Natasha.

"Hi," she said softly, regarding him with wide, green eyes and a slightly nervous expression.

"Hi," he said, his voice cracking.

"Um, I just came to drop these off," she said, slowly walking over to him and setting her access cards down on the counter. "And to see how you were doing."

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. I'm fine," he replied, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose.

"Clearly," she said softly, a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth and he smiled back, letting out a breath as he started to relax.

"Uh, Rhodey says you're doing good work back at the compound," he said lightly, hoping he wasn't slurring anymore.

She nodded. "Yeah. You should come visit sometime. I know the others would love to see you."

"Right," he said. He thought for a moment. "You get your invitation to Pepper and Happy's wedding?"

"Um, yeah," she said, "But I don't think I'm going to go."

"Why not?" He asked, his bottom lip jutting out a little. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go together?"

She shook her head, cringing slightly at his sour breath. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Aw, come on, baby," he said, tightening his hold on her shoulders and leaning his head close to her ear. "It'll be fun, us getting all dressed up… slow dancing…. just like old times…" He gave her a sloppy kiss that landed on her jaw, although he'd been aiming for her cheek.

"Tony," she said with a warning to her tone, pressing her hands firmly against his chest.

"Come on, you know you want to…."

"Stop!" She shouted, effectively pushing him away and wiping her sleeve over her face.

He stumbled slightly, a hurt expression on his face. "I just thought it would be nice for us to reconnect," he said.

"At Pepper's wedding?" She asked with teary eyes. "How can you actually expect me to sit there with you and celebrate knowing that she's giving you the one thing I can't?"

"I never asked that of you!" He shouted, slamming his fist down on the bar.

Rhodey rushed forward, but Natasha held up a hand to stop him.

"Wow," she whispered. "Congratulations, Tony. You're the same jerk you were two years ago." She turned towards the elevator.

"That's great," he called behind her, touching a hand to his chest. "You think you're gonna just walk out of here, but don't you forget. I can just fly away," he said, powering the thrusters at his hands once he was fully armored.

Her eyes widened. "Rhodey!" She screamed.

"I got him," Rhodey replied, soaring out onto the balcony after him.

She rushed through the doors, watching in horror as the Iron Man and the War Machine struggled in the air before Rhodey managed to pull him down.

The fight wasn't over, though as Tony struggled against him with all his might and they went crashing down to the ground before Tony pushed himself up and charged at Rhodey.

She ran in between them, sliding a widow's bite cartridge into her hand as she leapt six feet into the air, closing her thighs around Iron Man's neck and twisting her hips to send him spinning into the ground.

"Are you out of your mind!?" She shouted, pressing her knees firmly into his chest. "You're going to pilot the suit drunk?"

She placed both her hands on his chin, forcibly retracting his faceplate and discharging her cartridge into his neck. His body went limp in an instant and she waited until she caught her breath before she stood up and nodded at Rhodey.

"What did you do to him?" He asked.

"It's a very low dose tranquilizer. He'll be up in a few minutes." She was still breathing hard as he followed her back through the doors.

"He'll never be able to focus on Pepper and the baby the way he needs to as long as I'm here, will he?" She asked sadly.

Rhodey shook his head. "Doesn't look like it."

She looked around at the mess they'd made, her eyes narrowing in frustration and she jumped up suddenly, placing a well aimed kick in the center of a single shelf behind the bar that dislodged it as well as its contents, crashing into all the other shelves and sending the many bottles of expensive alcohol crashing into millions of tiny pieces on the now sticky floor.

Rhodey whistled softly.

"Get him help," she said, her voice halfway between pleading and demanding. She shoved a chip into his hand.

"You leaving the country?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's the only way. That's how you contact me. But he can never know."

"Understood." He thought for a moment. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know. With Steve, maybe." She hugged him tightly.

"Whatever you do, you take care of yourself, you hear me?" He said, returning her embrace fiercely.

She nodded. "You too," she said, stifling a sob.

"Hey." He tapped her chin up. "We'll see each other again. You know that, right? That's always how it goes."

XXXXX

She was once again still brushing thick tears from her eyes when she pulled up in front of her apartment. She was surprised to see that Steve was sitting on the bench on her deck when she got out of the car.

"I thought we were meeting at the airport," she said.

He stood, reaching out to embrace her. "I didn't want you to drive alone. Although I am surprised that Barton isn't here to see you off."

She shrugged as she leaned into his hug. "We're not speaking right now."

"Well, that's a damn shame," Steve told her.

She looked up at him. "Wanda and Sam?"

He nodded. "They're ready."

"Yeah," she said.

"Hey, Nat." He placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head back to look at him. "It's going to be okay. You know that, right? It's all going to work out the way it's supposed to."

She forced a smile for his benefit. "Thanks, Cap."


	8. Taking Sides

**Eight Months Later**

Natasha sat rigidly at the table in the conference room at the lower level of the compound, absorbing everything her teammates were saying. She idly watched Rhodey and Sam argue, listened to Cap's reasoning, heard Vision's statistics and sympathized with Wanda's emotional and apologetic logic.

She gazed at Tony as he paced back and forth, full of displaced energy. If she was honest with herself, she'd known what he was going to decide before he'd even shown them the photo of the fallen teenager that had been a casualty of their deeds in Sokovia. She didn't expect his eyes to widen when she said out loud that she would agree with him, nor did she expect the sarcasm he quickly used to recover.

The room exploded with heated arguments around her until Steve rose up from the table, claiming that he had to leave.

They all sat silent and unmoving after he'd gone, the arguing stopped abruptly as if he'd taken all the air with him. She wasn't sure who got up to leave first, maybe it was Wanda, going upstairs to sulk in her room, or Vision going to offer her some awkward comfort.

Before she knew it, she was following Rhodey out the door. She stopped when his voice called to her, just as she was about halfway down the hall.

She turned around, the pieces that were left of her heart after their debate nearly shattering when she saw him, hands in his pockets, glasses tucked into his collar. "Tony."

"You don't have to do it," he said.

She swallowed hard. "I'm not just doing it for you," she said.

He took a few tentative steps towards her until he was standing right in front of her. "With your history, and all the work that you've been doing. No one will fault you for not signing. Not like they will with him."

She shook her head. "I'm doing it for all of us."

He cocked his head to one side, gazing at her with a question on his face.

"Because you're right," she said, even though he hadn't asked. "We have to take a stand, either way. This is how we protect them. And each other. And it's always been about us staying together-all of us, hasn't it?"

He nodded. "Well, then I guess I'm just really lucky to have you on my side this time around."

She hesitated before placing a hand on his arm. "It's not just your fault, you know. You're not the only one who has sins to make up for."

He kept his eyes on hers. "Neither are you," he said quietly.

"Then it's settled."

He forced a smile. "I have a bad feeling that it's far from being settled."

"But this is the first step, right?" She asked, almost pleadingly as she gazed up at him.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"Then it looks like we're working together again."

"Yeah," he said again. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't, his eyes lowering to the floor.

"Tony.." she started.

He looked up at her.

"H-how's the baby?" She asked, forcing her own smile.

"She's perfect," he said quietly. "I could… show you some pictures, if you care."

She nodded. "Yeah. Of course I care."

He paused as his phone buzzed in his pocket. "Excuse me, I have to take this," he said, rolling his eyes as he swiped the screen to answer.

She lowered her eyes as he chatted briefly with whoever was on the line. He was nodding and agreeing and he put the phone back in his pocket with a solemn expression on his face.

"It's the secretary. He thinks one of us should be at the signing in Austria when the Accords becomes the law. Says it would look good."

"He's right." She thought for a moment. "Okay. I'll go."

"What?" He raised his eyes to look up at her. "No one said it has to be you."

She pressed her lips together in a forced smile. "But it should be me. Rhodey will have to work, and you've already stated your intentions by being the first one to sign. They need to see one of us supporting you. It should be me."

He sighed. "I don't deserve you."

"Tony…"

"Okay," he agreed. "You go to the signing. But you're not going in alone. I'll coach you through it."

"Thanks," she said softly, smiling for the first time since they'd all entered the conference room.

"I'll book your flight right now, if you want," he said, pulling out his device again.

She shook her head. "Wait. I need to make a stop on the way."

He frowned slightly. "I'm not expecting you to work miracles. But maybe try to talk some sense into him. I don't really want to do this without him."


	9. Reunion

"I told you we'd see each other again," Rhodey said.

"Yeah, you did," Natasha replied. "Although I really wish it were under better circumstances."

They stood in the hall, watching through the glass window as Tony pleaded with the secretary.

She studied him carefully, taking in his slightly unkempt appearance; loosened tie and unbuttoned shirt, hair that looked rumpled, as if he'd been running his hands through it, and the fantastic shiner under his right eye. She thought idly that this was the first time she'd ever seen him show his age and although he was doing a pretty decent job at keeping his composure and keeping up appearances, she knew that behind those dark glasses his eyes were tired.

Rhodey raised an eyebrow at her. "You want me to get this one, or you got it?"

"I got it," she said softly, slipping through the door in enough time to hear the secretary tell Tony that they had thirty-six hours to arrest their teammates.

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

"Always," he said, a little coolly with barely a glance in her direction.

She bit her lip, removing her hand from his arm and started to walk away.

"Hey, wait. Nat, wait," he said, rising up from the table. "I'm sorry," he said, standing in the doorway.

She looked up at him.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," he said more softly.

She took a tentative step closer to him, her eyes locked on his. He took his glasses off and she could see that his expression was hesitant and vulnerable. "You're doing just fine, Tony," she told him.

He sighed.

"Can I buy you a drink while we work?" She asked. "Cause you really look like you could use one."

He flashed her an almost half-smile. "Sure, as long as we're going someplace that has sparkling water."

She grinned. "There's actually a café around the corner. We can walk."

He held out his arm and she eagerly slipped hers through his, tugging him lightly in the right direction. "Yeah, speaking of that…. You owe me about fifty-five million dollars for that little stunt you pulled, darling." he said.

"I'll write you a check," she said, patting his hand.

He held the door open for her and pulled out her chair when they got to the café. She sat down gratefully, glad to have a small distraction and a change of scenery.

"You tried to warn me about Steve awhile ago, but I didn't want to listen," he said after the barista had brought them their coffee and pastries.

She peered at him thoughtfully over her mug. "I don't know if I even wanted to believe it," she replied after awhile.

He sighed. "I can't blame him though, can I? He's just doing what he thinks is the right thing to protect his family, same as me."

"Tony…" she placed a hand over his.

"I'm trying so hard….. but what are we doing, Nat? I thought I knew, but I'm still questioning."

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know if this is right or wrong, but we can't let it get bigger than it already is."

"We have to finish it," he agreed. "And we have to stop him before he makes things worse."

She nodded.

"No matter what," he said, twirling the stirrer absently between his fingers.

"No matter what," she repeated. "And the others can't see you like this. You have to stay strong," she added quietly.

"Have I told you yet how glad I am to have you in my corner?" He asked, squeezing her hand which was still resting over his.

She smiled. "I think you may have mentioned it a few times."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," he whispered.

She looked up at him and for a second his eyes were clear and he was smiling enough that his dimples were showing and for a second he was starting to look like himself again.

His phone beeped and he glanced quickly at it. "Rhodey says he found Vision."

She nodded, toying with her own phone and opening up a text message box.

"That's your call," he said, nodding at her phone. "If you don't make it, then I'll leave it alone."

She gazed at Tony, already sitting across from her in a cafe and making so many sacrifices for them yet again while his newborn daughter was at home in California and thought of Steve, who was sacrificing everything to hold onto something that he still believed in. Then she counted in her mind the number of months it had been since any of them had spoken to the man she'd once called her best friend and she closed the text box, shoving her phone back in her pocket. "No," she said softly.

He nodded. "Alright. That's it, then. I do still have to go to Queens tonight to talk to our new recruit, if we want to have a prayer of finding them in time and getting them to cooperate."

"Okay," she said. "Do you want me to come?"

He shook his head. "No. You stay here and work on T'Challa. Make sure he's really ours and that he'll follow the plan."

"Okay," she said again, placing some money on the table when the barista came to bring them their check.

"Natasha," He said softly, waiting for her to turn to look at him. "I know that everything's falling apart around us right now and that we still have a lot of work to do here. But it really is good to see you again, darling."

She smiled. "You too."

He offered her his arm again and they walked side by side out of the café.


	10. Disassembled

She was sitting in the common room with Rhodey and Vision when Tony strode in with their new recruit.

"You like spiders, ma'am? My name is Peter Parker, Ms. Widow. I'm Spider-Man!"

She stared, her mouth slightly open as he shook hands with Rhodey and took an overexcited reaction to Vision that could only be described as geeking out.

"Okay, don't forget what we talked about, Tiger. Rhodey will clue you in on the rest," he said, his voice firm, as if he were speaking to a child.

"Are you crazy?" She whispered once they were out of earshot.

"What?" He asked, feigning an innocent expression.

"He's a kid!" She hissed.

"He's older than you were, when you were pulled in," He pointed out. "And not much younger than Rogers was, for that matter."

"That's different," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "We were soldiers, and there were wars being fought."

"Yeah? And what do you think this is?" He retorted.

"This is a war that we declared on our friends!" She shouted. "Or have you forgotten that?"

"I haven't forgotten anything," he snapped, clearly trying not to raise his voice to her. "I am trying to keep us all safe! We bring them in, just like we planned and they go easy on them. Do you even want to think about what happens if we don't play this our way?"

"I know," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I know that."

"I don't like this either," Tony said gently. "But it's the only way. We stick to the plan, right?" He asked, moving closer to her.

She sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Right."

"Trust me."

"I do trust you, Tony," she whispered.

XXXXX

"Just for the record, I'm not mad," he said. His voice was hoarse and she could tell that he'd been crying for hours. "I know you did what you had to do."

She glanced through the open door of Rhodey's hospital room, sucking in a shaky breath as she wiped away her own tears. "I-Is he…?"

"Paralyzed? Yeah, among other things." He put a hand over his mouth, leaning his head against the window.

"Tony…."

"They say it could be permanent. I guess it could be worse though, right? He could've died. And that would've been on all of us."

She shook her head. "Don't."

"I tried so hard," he said through gritted teeth.

"I know you did," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We all did. But maybe we made a mistake."

He snorted softly. "We made a lot of mistakes. Isn't that what this was all about?"

"Maybe the mistake I made was not noticing sooner," she said quietly.

"Noticing what?"

"This thing with you and Steve. I think it was there all along. I don't know, I guess I just didn't want to see it."

"I'm already blaming myself, and now you're blaming me too?" He asked, his voice thick with irritation.

"Tony, whatever it is inside you, don't let it consume you. Swallow it, before it turns to hatred."

"Whatever," He said, still staring out the window. "You should go. Do whatever it is you have to do to be able to sleep tonight. I have to take care of my real best friend."

She turned away from him, wondering why she always had to be the one to walk away. "Just don't do anything stupid," she called over shoulder. But he was so wrapped up in his own head and his own hurt that she didn't even know if he heard her, and she wasn't going to turn around to find out.

XXXXX

She held onto the bars as she gazed up at him, thinking how strange it was that the closest they'd been to each other in the last eight months was on opposite ends of a prison cell.

"You'd better be quick," Clint said with something of an icy tone. "They know what you did, and they'll come after you too. I'm surprised they haven't already locked you up in here with the amount of eyes that are on us right now."

"Tony arranged-"

"Of course he did," he said with a smile that was more angry and defeated than it was genuine. "Where is Stark now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Gone after Rogers and Barnes, I suppose. He doesn't exactly keep me posted on things anymore."

He was looking at her with his arms crossed stiffly over his chest, a detachment in his eyes that she didn't quite recognize.

"It's not my fault you picked the wrong side, Clint," she whispered.

"I picked the only side," he snapped. "And you're on the winning team, right, Nat? Tell me, do you feel victorious?"

"I didn't want this for you. Any of you." She thought for a moment. "Would it have been different, if I'd been the one to call you first?"

He snorted. "Hell no."

She leaned her head against the bars, waiting for him to expand on his answer.

He chewed on his lip for a moment, clearly debating on whether or not he should spare her from whatever it was he really wanted to say. Finally his anger won out and he said quietly, "You let your feelings for him cloud your judgement."

She shook her head, now equally angry with him. "No, I didn't," she said defiantly.

"Yes, you did, and you're doing it now," he said, finally stepping up to the barrier to meet her gaze. "It's always been about him, hasn't it? You have been letting your feelings for him get in the way since the day you decided not to kill him and I found you a quivering mess on his doorstep."

"You're wrong," she insisted, wiping a tear from her eyes.

"So no, I absolutely, one hundred percent would not have taken your side on this, had you called me first," He said evenly. "Which you didn't. You didn't even call me at all."

"I was trying to keep you away from all this," she said, gesturing with her hand. "I was thinking of your children and your very patient wife. Who are all fine, by the way. I checked in on them before I came here."

He sighed, his expression softening slightly. "Thank you."

She reached through the bars, touching her hand to his. "Clint-"

Her secure phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, freezing for a moment when she saw who it was before she pressed the button to answer it.

Clint shook his head, covering his mouth with both hands.

"I'm sorry, I know we're not on the best of terms right now, but I didn't know who else to call."

He sounded lost and his voice was cracking on the other end and her heart was pounding in her ears, the hand that was holding the phone up to her head starting to shake.

"I need a ride."

"Alright," she said quietly, her voice hoarse. "Text me your coordinates. I'll be right there."

Clint was looking at her with an expression that was filled with despair and almost pity, something else she didn't recognize on his face.

"I have to go," she whispered.

He straightened up, his hands moving away from the bars. "Or you could just not, for once."

"I have to go," she repeated through gritted teeth.

"And what am I supposed to do?"

She took a deep breath to calm her already severed nerves. "Stay here," she said firmly. "Sit tight. And wait for Captain America to make good on his promises."

She whirled around, pressing a button on her cell as she moved.

"Nat," he called from behind her, and she turned around. "Bring him home safely," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She nodded once before running down the hall.


	11. Moment of Truth

She jumped out of the helicopter before it had even finished landing, the noise from the propellers doing nothing to drown out the blood rushing in her ears as she crouched down to let her legs absorb most of the impact.

She made her way into the bunker, calling his name in loud whispers even though she wasn't sure what else she'd find.

A million mental pictures had been swirling through her mind and her fears on the ride over, but nothing could've prepared her for what she found.

He was lying on the ground, his face bloodied and broken pieces of his armor scattered everywhere. His eyes were closed and he was groaning in pain, a broken sound that she knew would haunt both her days and her nights moving forward.

She rushed to him, reaching into her back jacket pocket for the first aid kit she'd had the sense to grab from the helicopter. "Tony," she cried, kneeling down beside him.

He opened his eyes when he saw her and struggled to sit up.

She shook her head. "No, don't move yet," she said gently. Upon closer inspection, she found that there was damage to his chest piece and her heart dropped to her stomach. "F.R.I.D.A.Y…. what kind of damage is there to the arc reactor?"

"The arc reactor technology is still fully functioning, although the core is non-operational. Emergency systems have failed, and auxiliary power is at point nine percent."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Can you scan for signs of internal bleeding?"

"No indication of internal injuries, Lady Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y. assured her.

She nodded, dabbing at his face with cotton and alcohol and he hissed.

"What the hell happened here?" She asked as she cleaned the blood and tears from his face. "Where are Steve and Barnes?"

"Gone," he said. He coughed loudly, wincing in pain. "There's no one here but us."

"Good," she replied. "That gives me a little more time to get you cleaned up before we get out of here. Honestly, the suit's a little more messed up than I expected."

"Yeah, well. A vibranium shield to the chest will do that to you, I suppose."

She froze, dropping the cotton on the ground. "Steve did this?" she whispered shakily.

He nodded, trying to prop himself up against the pile of rubble. "Nat," he said, finally looking at her, his brown eyes wounded. "He killed my parents," he whispered.

"What? Who?"

Tears stung at his eyes as he looked at her. "Barnes. He killed my parents."

She gasped, covering her face with both hands as her own tears started to fall. "No…"

"I watched it on video."

"Tony," she breathed, reaching out her hand to touch his face.

"After everything my father did for Captain America, everything he did for this country, it was Bucky Barnes who killed both my parents. That's irony, right?" A sob escaped his throat.

"I'm so, so sorry, Tony," she cried, smoothing his hair back.

"Did you know?" He asked, his eyes locked on hers.

She shook her head. "No. No, I wouldn't have ever thought…"

"Rogers knew."

"Oh, God…."

"It's over," he whispered.

"We'll figure it out," she told him.

"I want to go home."

She nodded. "Happy is in your helicopter. I asked him to wait. I wasn't sure what went down…"

He started to move and she placed a hand over his chest. "Wait," she commanded. "We have to make sure you don't have broken bones or anything before you get up. Can you power down? I need to look at you."

He leaned his head back. "I'm naked under the suit," he said lightly.

She half-smiled at his efforts. "I'm okay with that," she replied.

"Are you flirting with me, Agent Romanoff?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows as the broken pieces of his armor detached themselves from his body.

"You flirted with me first, Mr. Stark," she said, her half-smile turning into a smirk. She ran her hands over his arms, squeezing briefly at his joints. "Is anything broken?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

She lifted up his shirt, grateful to find only a few bruises to his torso and she placed her hands over his ribs, holding his sides. "Are you able to breathe comfortably?"

He inhaled deeply, holding it for a few seconds before letting the breath out through his lungs.

"It doesn't look like you have any broken ribs either. How about your legs? Do you think you can stand?"

"Only one way to find out," he said, holding out both hands, and she used most of her strength to pull him up.

He stood with more effort than he was willing to let her see, but his legs held and she wrapped an arm around his waist, throwing his arm over her shoulder so she could support his weight if he needed her to.

She nodded to the shield laying on the ground. "What do you want me to do with that?"

He shrugged. "I don't care."

She hesitated before bending down slightly to pick it up, not letting go of him as she walked him steadily out to the helicopter.

"Oh, my God, Tony!" Happy exclaimed in horror when he saw them approach and he rushed to help her get him inside and into a seat.

"I got him," she said softly. "You just worry about getting us out of here."

He nodded reluctantly as she threw the shield on the floor.

Once Happy started to get the helicopter in the air and she was confident that he wouldn't fall over, she took the seat next to him.

He leaned against her, slowly letting himself slide down until his head was in her lap.

She tapped lightly on his shoulder. "Tony, baby, we've gotta get you strapped in," she said gently, nudging him to sit up straight.

He rolled over onto his side, curled his legs up across the other seats, his face resting on her thighs and he mumbled something that she couldn't quite make out, although it was clear that he didn't plan on moving.

"Okay," she said softly, reaching out and wrapping her arm firmly around his waist to hold him in place while her other hand gently stroked his hair. "It's okay. I got you."

She could feel when his breathing started to even out and she watched him sleep, her fingers moving soothingly through his disheveled hair until they landed outside his mansion.

XXXXX

"Thank you," he said, his voice soft and sincere once they were in his room. "I honestly don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come get me."

She held onto his arm. "I will always come get you," she whispered.

He nodded. "I will always come for you too. Even when I'm being a brat."

"I know that," she said quietly.

He let out a breath. "Listen… Happy's gone and I'm not exactly in the best shape to drive you home right now. Why don't you just stay here tonight?"

Her eyes widened slightly.

"You don't have to sleep in here with me, or anything. You could stay in a separate room, of course," he added quickly. "Actually, your old room is exactly as you left it, if you want."

She watched him closely, swallowing thickly over the lump that was starting to form in her throat. "Okay," she said softly.

"Great. F.R.I.D.A.Y. will know to listen for what you need. And I'll drive you home in the morning. You can even pick which car," He said with a small smile.

She smiled back, leaning her head up to kiss his cheek. "Goodnight, Tony."

"Goodnight, darling," he said, squeezing her hand briefly before she turned to head for the elevator.


	12. No Turning Back

She changed into some pj's when she got to her old room, a cotton t-shirt and silk pajama shorts that she found in a drawer. Even without her personal belongings, the space was familiar and not entirely unwelcome, but as she crawled into the bed she knew she wouldn't sleep.

Before she could attempt to stop herself she was moving towards the elevator, pressing the button to go two floors up. She could easily tell him that she wanted to watch over him tonight, and she thought he would probably find it justified. Or she could go back to the suite he'd designated for her and wait at a safe distance for him to drive her home in the morning.

The ding from the elevator sounded when it arrived on the sixth floor and she knew it was too late for her to change her mind, so she walked carefully down the hall and knocked softly on his door.

"You couldn't sleep either?" He said, half question, half statement when he saw her standing there, and she shook her head.

"I don't want to stay in a separate room," she whispered.

He was silent for a little too long as he gazed at her and for a second she had thought maybe she'd gone too far, but then he was hugging her fiercely, his arms strong around her and she let herself melt into his embrace as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her body against his.

He lifted her up swiftly and effortlessly, kicking the door closed behind them and pulling her in. Then his lips were on hers, hungry, desperate and passionate and she moaned into his mouth as she kissed him back.

She moved her hands to the back of his head, stroking his hair and the back of his neck and then pulling his face to hers as they kissed. His arms were around her waist, holding her close as he continued to kiss her with all the longing he'd felt for nearly a year since he'd had her in his bedroom.

"I still love you, Nat," he said against her mouth, his voice thick with emotion.

"I never stopped loving you, Tony," she told him, her breath shaky as they kissed again.

He slid his tongue along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth wide enough to devour his, all teeth and tongue and heavy breaths as she let him in.

She held his face, running her fingers along his facial hair as their tongues battled for dominance, his mouth soft and warm and wet against hers.

His hands were bunching up her shirt at her back, twisting the fabric in between and around his fingers as they continued kissing. "If we do this now, there's no turning back," he said softly, his mouth traveling down her neck and setting her skin tingling.

She leaned her forehead against his, tracing the collar of his t-shirt with her fingers back and forth until the material slipped away and she was softly caressing his skin.

"What do you want?" He whispered into her hair.

"Touch me," she whispered back.

He looked at her, his eyes glittering in the moonlight. "Where?" He asked.

"Everywhere," she breathed.

He eagerly obliged, slipping both hands under her shirt and feeling every part of her back and she shivered under his touch. He continued to kiss her as he dragged his hands across her sides and to her front, lightly skimming across her tummy and she made a soft sound, tilting her head back so his lips would have better access to her neck.

He kept his hands on her stomach until she stopped shaking, then he slowly raised them up and she pulled her t-shirt off over her head. He stopped kissing her neck long enough to let his eyes sweep over her bare breasts, allowing himself to drink in a sight he'd convinced himself he would never get to see again and he slowly trailed one hand up her side, lightly stroking his thumb across the side of her breast.

She kissed him full on the mouth, pulling him close to her again and he moved his hands over both of her breasts, cupping, squeezing, and kneading as his tongue slid over hers.

She moved her hands under his t-shirt, tracing the muscles in his stomach and feeling them tighten and relax as he moved. She started to tug at the bottom of the shirt and he took his hands away from her only long enough to let her pull it off of him, still kissing her hungrily.

He lowered his head, kissing the tops of her breasts softly before darting his tongue out and she gasped audibly when he started to suck on her nipples. "Tony," she moaned.

"Baby," he breathed, and she slowly pushed against him, backing him up to the bed until he was sitting on the mattress, pulling her down into his lap and helping her forward to straddle his hips.

She slid her hands over his bare back and shoulders as she ground into him, feeling him hard against her through the thin material of both of their pajamas and she moved her hips back and forth on him.

He moved his hands up her neck and along her jaw, pulling her face to his so he could kiss her again and she pushed her fingers through his hair, her nails lightly scraping along his scalp.

Her breasts brushed against his chest as she lowered her mouth and it wasn't enough to be kissing his neck, she needed to taste his skin, so she slipped her tongue out, licking along the line of his throat, tracing his Adam's apple, sucking his jugular and dipping her tongue into his pulse point while he moaned softly as she continued to move in his lap.

He slid his hands down her sides as she nibbled at his collar bones, moving them across her thighs and behind her to where her shorts were riding up and she sighed deeply as he kept going, moving his hands lightly over the curve of her ass.

She moaned, still kissing his neck as she pushed against him until he was laying on his back and he adjusted his position to welcome her weight as she lay on top of him.

She kissed down his chest, her hands sliding down from his shoulders and moving everywhere her lips touched as she made her way down his body, nuzzling her nose into his ribs as she pressed her mouth hungrily to his skin.

He groaned when she got to his belly, lifted his hips long enough so she could tug down his pants, boxers and all and she breathed in deep when she felt him hard between her breasts.

She moved her hands over his hips, lowered her head down and pressed her lips to his tip before sliding her tongue along the length of his cock.

He made a wild sound when he felt her tongue against him and she wanted to hear him do it again, so she took him into her mouth and began to suck.

"Oh, God, that feels good," he moaned as his eyes started to roll back into his head as she went up and down his length and she could feel him pulse in her mouth. "But this is going to be over really fast if you don't stop," he warned.

She pulled away reluctantly then moved to lay over him again and he cupped her cheek in his hand, slowly stroking his thumb along her jaw while his other hand moved her hair away from her face. "I want you," he whispered. "I need you so bad."

"Then take me," she whispered back.

He tilted his head to kiss her softly as he rolled them over until she was laying on her back, lining up her head against the pillows and leaning over her.

He moved one hand down her body, slipping it inside her panties to feel between her legs and nearly whimpering when the evidence of her arousal spread over his fingers as he pushed into her.

"God, I missed you," he said, hooking his fingers upwards inside her and she could only moan in response, a low, desperate sound that might've embarrassed her in the past, but now she just wanted him to know how much she was enjoying what his hand was doing to her sex.

He tugged her shorts off of her, pulled her panties down and positioned himself over her. He was shaking as he tempted her thighs apart with his knee, and she realized she was shaking too as she spread her legs for him.

"Tasha," he moaned as he pushed into her.

"Oh, God, Tony," she said breathlessly, a tear sliding down her cheek.

He held her face in his hands, kissed her deeply and she could feel that his face was wet too as they kissed. She cried out when he began to move, moving her hips to meet his and her muscles reacted wildly when he began to thrust.

He made that noise again, and she knew he could feel her body's reaction to having him inside of her and that's when he lost control, moving his hips hard and fast against hers. She moaned every time he pushed in, saying his name over and over.

He came too fast, but he'd been hitting her spot with each thrust and she could feel him throb inside of her as he exploded and it was enough to push her over the edge into a world where it was just the feel of his breath on her skin, the taste of his sweat, and the sound of his moans.

He was breathing hard, his forehead leaning against hers as he attempted to regain control of his emotions and she gripped him tightly, hearing herself gasp into his chest.

"I ff-f …I fucking love you," he whispered once he could speak.

"I fucking love you too," she said as he rolled onto his back and she curled into him.

XXXXX

It was still dark and the moon was still high through the glass doors of the balcony when she opened her eyes. "Tony?" She said uncertainly, her voice needy.

"I'm right here, baby," he whispered, rolling over and sliding a hand along her hip.

"Good," she murmured. "Don't go anywhere. I need you."

He could see the outline of her body in the moonlight and he slid closer to her until he was right up against her back. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised, moving her hair away from her shoulders with one hand and lowering his head to kiss her neck. "And I need you more than you will ever know."

She sighed softly, tilting her head to the side and his lips followed her. "Tony," she breathed again.

She adjusted her position so she was on her back under him and he moved the covers away, exposing the most vulnerable parts of her to him and she was grateful that she was still naked if it meant that he could get his hands on her faster.

He kissed her deeply as he touched her sides and her stomach, reaching his hand between her thighs as he moved his mouth to her breasts, shivering at her soft moan.

"Can I go down on you?" he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver as he kissed her neck.

He felt more than saw her nod and he moved his mouth slowly down her body, savoring the taste of her breasts and the feel of her stomach quivering in anticipation.

He gently caressed her belly, his mouth on her pubic bone and he kissed her softly before pushing her thighs apart with his hands and placing them over his shoulders.

She cried out when she felt his tongue dart out to slide across her folds and then he really began to lick, adjusting the pressure of his tongue to match the push of her hips and the frequency of her moans. He sucked on her clit and she came, whimpering softly as he licked through her spasms.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, tracing the line of her jaw with his fingers and brushing her hair back.

He leaned down to kiss her and she reached down to touch him when she felt him hard against her thigh.

"I want you inside me again," she whispered, her voice unsteady with emotion.

"I want to be inside you again too," he said softly as he grabbed himself, rubbing his sex against hers before pushing in. "And again and again and again. I never want to stop making love to you."

"Don't stop," she breathed, moving her hips.

He was slow and gentle this time, kissing her lips tenderly and touching her face, her neck and her hair, whispering sweet things in her ear as they made love.

She thought they might have been pushing against each other for hours before he thrusts became longer and deeper and his breaths became heavier and she her moans grew louder and she came first, although he followed soon after, with his hands in her hair and his lips on her face.

She pressed her face into his chest after, rested her hand on his stomach and felt his breathing go back to normal before she closed her eyes and fell asleep with his heart beating against her cheek.

XXXXX

He reached into the nightstand the second time they woke up that night, pulling out something small and pressing it into her hand. "It's yours," he whispered. "I made it for you."

She opened her eyes long enough to see the hourglass diamond in the palm of her hand, the moonlight catching the surrounding rubies and sapphires and she smiled as she closed her fingers tightly around it.

She remembered something else, then. "Was that the Iron Man suit I was helping you make?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah," he whispered thickly.

"It's okay," she told him, fingering the ring in her hand."We'll build another one together."

She felt him smile into her shoulder.

XXXXX

It was morning the next time her eyes fluttered open, just before sunrise. "Tony?" she asked into the sheets.

"Still here, darling," he whispered, his hand sliding over her hip. "I'm not going anywhere. You?"

"I'm never going anywhere, ever again," she told him, reaching behind her to hold his head.

He buried his face in her neck, breathed in deeply. "Good," he said. He held her tight against his chest, the arc reactor pressing firmly into her back.

He was still a broken man, she knew. But she also knew that no matter what else was falling apart around them, she'd still spend her life making sure his pieces fit together.

Author's Note:

6 years. 3 fics. 41 chapters. 58,352 words. One story. It was always going to end with them together. Thank you all.


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